This is a very flavorful, fruity green tea – although it has white tea in it as well, it looks and tastes like a green tea. There are quite a few large leaves, as well as very large rosebuds, in the dried leaves, and once the tea is brewed, many of the leaves unfurl, to reveal the several different types of green tea in the mix: some whole leaves, some broken pieces of larger leaves, some much wider leaves than others.

The Sencha green dominates the tea part of the flavor, but the others in the blend add smoothness, and take away any hint that there might have been of grassiness. One should be fairly careful about using water that is not too hot – the mix of a white with greens of varying delicacy calls for a water temperature on the low end of what you’d use for green tea. The upside to this is that you can steep the tea for longer – even if you steep it for more than three minutes, it still will not be bitter or grassy.

It’s the fruit flavor that is the highlight, though – a mix of tropical fruits that manages to be larger than the sum of its parts. Even though there is no peach in the tea, the combination of mango, pineapple, and rose contrives to have a peach note in its taste.

ESP Emporium describes this tea as:

This noble blend of different green and white teas captivates the senses with the typical, attractive Pai Mu Tan and a Yunnan which is dominated by light, fluffy, tips. Yellow rosebuds, pineapple flakes and mango cubes enhance the delicate yet significant freshness of this aromatic variety. The tea leaves dominate the overall taste with their typically delicate, slightly bitter notes. A touch of juicy pear and creamy sweet exotic flavors envelop the characteristic flavor of green tea.
Ingredients: China Sencha, Lung Ching, green Yunnan and Pai Mu Tan (89 % total tea), flavoring, mango cubes (mango, sugar), pineapple flakes, rosebuds. Serving Size: 1 level tsp./6oz serving, Brew Temp: 176 to 194 degree F, Brew Time: 2 to 3 Minutes

Because of the sweetness of the mango cubes, this tea doesn’t need any added sugar – even if you normally automatically add sugar to tea, do try this one before adding any. The tea doesn’t really need any added lemon, either, though a very small amount of lemon or lime (less than you’d use in plain black or green tea) won’t hurt it.

The rosebuds, by the way, do not unfurl – they remain buds – but they are large enough to see clearly even after the tea is brewed, and you could easily lift them out of the used leaves and drop a rosebud in each cup of tea. The roses add only the faintest scent to the blend, since mango pretty much dominates over rose.

The tea tastes good iced, as well, as I suspected it would as soon as I saw the ingredients. While it’s November as I write this, we had an unexpected 70-degree (F) day today, and iced tea got right back on the menu. With the rosebuds, this would make a nice iced tea for an outdoor tea party on a hot afternoon, too.